Sizzla: Gay Bashing Dancehall Reggae Artist Plays Cleveland : Cleveland IMC (((i)))

Action Alert: Sizzla at the Catalyst, Advocates Killing Queer People

(This article is from Santa Cruz Indymedia about Sizzla's appearance there. All the background info applies to Cleveland as well))

Thomas Leavitt

Date Created 27 Aug 2005

More details...

Sizzla, a virulently homophobic dance hall reggae singer who advocates burning/killing queer people, says he personally kills them, etc., has been scheduled to appear at the Catalyst in downtown Santa Cruz on September 11th, 2005. The GLBT Alliance and the Santa Cruz queer community at large are organizing protests and lobbying the Catalyst to cancel his appearance.

We know - deja vu all over again.

Once again, The Catalyst is bringing to town a dance hall reggae singer who advocates violence against gay men and lesbians: this time it's Sizzla, who may be worse than Capleton; while Capleton and others have agreed to tone down the homophobia, Sizzla recently refused to apologize, saying that queers should be the ones apologizing for being queer.

Sizzla's recent British tour was cancelled because the British government refused to allow him into the country; a reggae festival in France at which Sizzla was set to perform was cancelled because of the singer's virulent homophobia; a major reggae festival in Jamaica this summer was fined a reputed $20 million by its sponsor because of Sizzla's homophobic performance -- and now he's coming to Santa Cruz. (see links to stories at bottom of page)

While we recognize that Sizzla has a right to his views, and while we aren't trying to censor his ability to state those views, we don't believe that The Catalyst is obliged to provide a forum for someone who promotes violence against a community.

If it concerns you that a singer who thinks that it's good to incite people to kill queers is scheduled to sing in Santa Cruz, please do something about it. Call The Catalyst at 423-1338 and ask them not to allow violent homophobes on its stage; call The Catalyst's booking agent, Gary Tighe, at 464-1212 and tell him the same.

Ask any organization of which you're a member to contact The Catalyst; pass this message along to friends; get the word out -- and please let us know when you've called and what response you've gotten -- email info@homosexualagenda.org or call Alliance co-chairs Merrie Schaller at 831-335-3568 or Thomas Leavitt at 831-469-3382.

The GLBT Alliance will be working to get as much pressure on The Catalyst as we can, and will keep you updated -- but be prepared to demonstrate our outrage on September 11 if Sizzla's appearance goes on as scheduled.

Some of Sizzla's lyrics include (translations in parentheses):

Pump Up
Step up inna front line (Step up to the front line)
fire fi di man dem weh go ride man behind (burn the men who have sex with men from behind)
Shot battybwoy, my big gun boom (Shoot queers, my big gun goes boom)

Boom Boom
Boom boom! Batty boy them fi dead (Boom boom! Queers must be killed)

Get To Da Point
Sodomite and batty bwai mi seh a death fi dem (Sodomite and queers, I say death to them)
Mi no trust babylon fi a second yah so (I don¿t trust Babylon for a second)
Mi a go shot batty bwai dem widdi weapon ya (I go and shoot queers with a weapon [as in gunshots])

At a reggae concert in Chicago in April 2002, Sizzla bragged that he kills queers, and also incited the audience to murder gays and lesbians: "mi nuh go tek back mi chat... mi kill sodomite and batty man dem bring aids and disease pon people... shot a kill dem, mi nuh go tek back mi chat" [I wont take back my words... I kill sodomites and queers, they bring AIDS and disease upon people... shoot and kill them, I won't take back my words.]

A report by Amnesty International, dated May 17, 2004, about a reggae concert in Jamaica earlier that year, documented Sizzla and other reggae stars abusing and threatening to kill gay men:
"Throughout the night, Capleton, Sizzla and others sang almost exclusively about gay men. Using the derogatory terms for gay men - "chi chi men" or 'battybwoys' - they urged the audience to 'kill dem, battybwoys haffi dead, gun shots pon dem. Who want to see dem dead, put up his hand'
[kill them, queers have got to die, gun shots in their head, whoever wants to see them dead, put up your hand]

The All Music Guide says: A member of the militant Bobo Ashanti sect, [Sizzla] sometimes courted controversy with his strict adherence to their views, particularly his aggressive condemnations of homosexuals ...

In an interview by Richard Burnett in the Canadian entertainment magazine 'Hour' on 19 August 2004, Sizzla said: "...burn sodomite, burn battyman. Burn all things that are wrong. Burn it... We must get rid of Sodom and Gomorrah right now..."

The Jamaica Observer reported in September 2004 that Sizzla's neighbours launched a petition to get him to leave their community, saying his presence was "responsible for an upsurge of gun violence in the Kingston community".

http://www.jahworks.org/music/features/sizzla_banned_in_UK.htm - Sizzla Banned in the UK over Homophobic Lyrics
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4041183.stm - No apology from 'anti-gay' singer
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20050726T200000-0500_84867_OBS_SUMFEST_LIKELY_TO_DROP_SIZZLA.asp - Sumfest likely to drop Sizzla
http://hour.ca/music/music.aspx?iIDArticle=3876 - What happened to "one love"?, Richard Burnett, Hour Magazine

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